Three years after a proposal was made to nearly double the building size allowed in Gig Harbor’s so-called West Side, the city council recently sealed the change. The district’s Business-2 zone will now allow buildings up to 65,000 square feet instead of being limited at 35,000.

The change followed the argument that, among other things, West Side cannot be competitive with other areas, notably Gig Harbor North where Target and Home Depot are located, because you can’t find an anchor tenant that would only take 35,000 square feet.

But that was the easy part. The West Side ordinance came out of an April public hearing at which the city proposed making changes to various zones, including its downtown. The proposal stemmed from a report by a Bellevue-based consultant who was hired by the city to look at its building size limitations citywide.

For residents who have long prided themselves in the quaint and small-scale character of their downtown, any issue that deals with changing its character has been an emotional one. The April city council meeting was no different. In about two and a half hours of public testimony, resident after resident said that it’s the city’s duty to preserve its downtown character instead of looking at allowing bigger developments. No one comes to Gig Harbor to see big shopping malls, they argued. They come for the small-town, friendly environment and the beautiful waterfront.

“We felt the shoreline should be treated a little bit differently than the rest of the area,” said John McMillan, a local resident who has participated in various public committees and also testified at the hearing. “A lot of people feel the basin should be restricted so there are views and openness to the waterfront.”

Some of the sentiment goes back about three years ago, when the Russell Family Foundation building erected downtown surprised many residents by its size. Although built within allowable limits, it nonetheless was viewed by downtown merchants and many others as out of size and out of character. “What would they allow next?” was a question heard often.

Similar concerns raised by residents in April about citywide revisions prompted the city council to instead break the discussions into separate zones. “What came out of the hearing was a consensus that one size doesn’t fit all,” said city’s Community Development Director John Vodopich. The council began a series of work-study sessions that will continue through July at which the public has been invited to participate. Once they conclude, the council will direct the city to prepare new ordinances, Vodopich said.

“Inviting the citizens to the decision-making process is the key to making changes,” McMillan said. “It’s a big step in the right direction. We hope the future includes carefully crafted zoning for the shoreline that recognizes the cultural and historical value while still allowing small businesses to thrive.”.